Compare The Best of Italy & Sicily by Great Value Vacations vs Great Italian Cities (Summer) by Trafalgar

Day 1: Welcome to Rome!

Accommodation: Una Hotel Roma

At 5pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome's lively restaurants. (Dinner)

Day 2: Rome

Enjoy guided sightseeing, including inside visits to all of the highlights of religious and ancient Rome: the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment, monumental St. Peter's Square and Basilica to admire Michelangelo's Pieta, the amazing Colosseum, and the Roman Forum, where Roman legions marched in triumph. To make the most of your stay, join our optional walking tour, and see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and other sites and squares of medieval Rome made famous in the movie Angels & Demons. (Breakfast)

Day 3: Rome - Pisa -Florence

Enter Tuscany and arrive in Pisa to marvel at the legendary Leaning Tower. Take your pictures pushing back the tower before continuing to Florence, the Cradle of the Renaissance. Time to shop for Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce, for which the city is famous. (Breakfast)

Day 4: Florence - Venice Island

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Mgallery Lagare at Murano Hotel

This morning, focus on Florence. Your walking tour with a Local Guide features the magnificent cathedral, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry's heavy bronze Gate of Paradise, and sculpture-studded Signoria Square. A highlight is a visit to the Academy of Fine Arts to admire Michelangelo's David. Cross the wooded Apennine Mountains and arrive in Venice. Enter in style by Private Boat and attend a Glassblower's Demonstration on the island of Murano. This evening, enjoy a ride by Private Water-taxi to St. Mark's Square to discover Venice by night.

Day 5: Venice Island

Meals: Breakfast

Board your Private Boat to St. Mark's Square and meet your Local Guide for a walking tour including visits to the byzantine St. Mark's Basilica, lavish Doges' Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride and an exciting optional lagoon cruise to the colorful island of Burano.

Day 6: Venice Island - Ravenna - Assisi

Follow the Adriatic coastline to Ravenna. Here, see the famous mosaics in the 6th-century Basilica of St. Apollinaris in Classe. In the afternoon, arrive in peaceful Assisi and visit the massive 13th century lower Basilica of St. Francis built above the Saint's grave. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 7: Assisi - Pompeii - Naples. Overnight Cruise to Palermo

Accommodation: Hotel San Francesco Assisi

Arrive in Pompeii, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. A guided walking tour through the excavations features patrician houses, public baths, and commercial districts that strikingly recall day-to-day life when Rome was at the apex of her power. In nearby Naples, a cappuccino and sfogliatella await you at the famous Grand Cafe Gambrinus before boarding your Ferry in Naples for the overnight cruise to Sicily. (Breakfast)

Day 8: Palermo

Meals: Breakfast

After disembarkation, start your sightseeing with a Local Guide. Visit the ornate Piazza Bellini, Capo Market, the baroque Church of Immacolata, and the Cathedral. Drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d'Oro and a visit to the 12th-century Norman Cathedral, famous for its 50,000 square feet of precious byzantine mosaics.

Day 9: Palermo - Marsala - Agrigento

Accommodation: Excelsior Hilton Palermo

In Marsala, visit a Salt Mill, then a true highlight: a local favorite Wine Tasting at the famous Florio wine cellar to try out and learn about Marsala wines. Next, drive along the western coast to Agrigento. Here, your Local Guide will take you for a spectacular walk through the magnificent Valley of Temples. Even travellers who have visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet graceful Greek structures that miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented history. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 10: Agrigento - Taormina Riviera

This morning, enjoy the scenic beauty and treasures of the island's heart on your way to Taormina, where you will visit the 3rd-century Greek Amphitheatre, the second-largest of its kind in Sicily. Situated above the city, it affords spectacular views of the bay and Mount Etna. (Breakfast)

Day 11: Taormina Riviera

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Della Valle, Agrigento

Today is your chance to join the exciting half-day optional excursion to Mount Etna. Afternoon is at leisure to relax or for individual activities.

Day 12: Taormina Riviera – Sorrento

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Atahotel Naxos Beach Resort

Board your Ferry and cross the Strait of Messina to land at the toe of the Italian boot in Calabria. Tonight, you are in the charming resort of Sorrento, delightfully situated on the Bay of Naples.

Day 13: Sorrento. Excursion to Capri

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Grand Hotel Cesare Augusto

Speed across the Bay of Naples by Jetfoil to the Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since that time for its beauty. Ride the Funicular to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the charming piazzetta. Then, enjoy an exciting Boat Cruise (weather permitting) around the island. Return to Sorrento.

Day 14: Sorrento – Rome

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: NH Midas Hotel

Return to Rome. This evening, back in the Eternal City, a special farewell dinner with wine and opera entertainment awaits you at La Carovana restaurant as a proper way to say, Arrivederci, Roma!

Day 15: Depart Italy

Meals: Breakfast

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.

Day 1: Welcome to Rome

You're in for a bellissimo journey through the spectacular cities of Italy, which kicks off in the 'Eternal City' of Rome. Join your travel companions and Travel Director for a delightful Welcome Dinner. Your introduction to la dolce vita begins with an orientation drive past Rome's most magnificent sights.

Grand Palatino

Dinner

Day 2: Explore Ancient Rome and the Vatican City Dive Into Culture

This morning we join our Local Specialist for a very special experience as we Dive Into Culture in the smallest nation on earth - Vatican City. Explore the extraordinary collections of the Vatican Museums and stand beneath Michelangelo’s sublime ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, admiring the artistry of great masters and walking in the footsteps of popes who have found peace within the walls of this enclave for centuries. Visit the expansive St Peter’s Basilica before continuing to the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, where you’ll enjoy a tour of the lush gardens and lunch in its beautiful surrounds before returning to Rome.

Grand Palatino

Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3: Rome Your Way

Enjoy a full free day to explore Rome your way, or consider an Optional Experience delving into the tragic history of Pompeii - the Roman city frozen in time by the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Your Local Specialist will bring the ancient story of this city to life before you return to Rome, passing by the Abbey of Monte Cassino, the site of fierce fighting during the Second World War.

Grand Palatino

Breakfast

Day 4: Admire Assisi and on to Florence

Journey north through the rolling hills of Umbria to the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi. Here your Local Specialist will reveal the story of this most venerated figure on a visit to the Basilica of St. Francis, the final resting place of this famous saint and home to a wonderful series of frescoes by Giotto. Later we continue our journey through the scenic Tuscan countryside to Florence. Tonight, we Connect With Locals over dinner at a Be My Guest experience enjoying delicious specialties against the backdrop of picture-perfect olive groves and vineyards.

Grand Mediterraneo

Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5: Discover Renaissance Florence

Enjoy a leisurely encounter with the artistic and architectural marvels of Florence during your walking tour with a Local Specialist. Visit the striking Piazza della Signoria with its impressive sculptures and palazzi. Amble through the charming cobblestone lanes to the multi-colored marble Duomo and Baptistery, before admiring the scenic view of the Ponte Vecchio straddling the Arno River. Learn about the quality and workmanship of two of this city’s historic industries at demonstrations of Florentine leathercraft and 18-carat gold. Spend the rest of the afternoon sauntering through the historic center of Florence, shopping for high-quality leather for which the city is famous, or admiring the artistic contribution of the Medici at every turn.

Grand Mediterraneo

Breakfast

Day 6: Uncover Pisa’s Treasures Connect with Locals

After a morning at leisure in Florence, cross the fertile Arno Valley to Pisa and join a Local Specialist to visit the Square of Miracles, home to the incredible Leaning Tower and the iconic marble Cathedral. See the ornate Baptistery and the Camposanto, a monumental cemetery built on sacred soil brought back from the Holy Land during the Crusades.

Grand Mediterraneo

Breakfast

Day 7: Journey to Bologna and Venice

Travel north, through the Apennines, to the medieval city of Bologna, perhaps best known for the delicious pasta sauce that bears its name. Your sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist includes views of the Kissing Towers which lean towards each other, seemingly poised to embrace. Then it's off to the romantic island city of Venice with its rich cultural and artistic heritage. Spend time at leisure gliding along its enchanting canals in a gondola or wander through the city's labyrinthine lanes, over bridges and into quiet campi.

Amadeus, Principe

Breakfast

Day 8: Cruise Venice’s Canals Make Travel Matter

Savor the iconic and unexpected highlights of Venice as you cruise by private launch to St. Mark's Square to admire the Bridge of Sighs, Palladian churches, Customs House, St. Mark's Basilica and the ornate Doge's Palace. This afternoon, your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience will see you enjoy one of the city’s last remaining studios where you’ll gain insights into the delicate Venetian art of glassblowing. Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure admiring this city on water or consider an Optional Experience to the island of Burano where colorful fishermen’s homes line the canals.

Amadeus, Principe

Breakfast

Day 9: Experience Venice’s Food Market

Sites made famous in poetry, song and prose are explored today when we join a Local Specialist for a walking tour from our hotel along the canals to the famous Rialto Bridge, where all the flavors of Italy come to life at a centuries-old food market. Amble through the narrow calli of Venice and admire the beautiful architecture, walking over the Rialto Bridge before spending the rest of the day visiting the sights of your choice. Our love affair with Italy's great Italian cities comes to an end this evening as we enjoy a Farewell Dinner.

Amadeus, Principe

Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10: Farewell Venice

For now, it's time to say a fond arrivederci to Italy and newfound friends who have shared in the memorable sights, sounds and flavors.

Breakfast